How do you feel about symmetry? The drive for balance suggests the image of scales displaying equal weight. Think about it. Food/Exercise, Work/Play, Friends/Family.

Everything is nice and tidy and a good routine supports our choice for balance.

And yet, we yearn for variety. Indeed our culture is all about tempting us to mess with our precious balance for the sake of introducing something new.

The rule of three is a time-honored method for introducing asymmetry into our daily lives. Adding a little flair to your home or personal attire can brighten your day with a grouping of three. Use the rule of three as a memory device the next time you have a lot on your mind. Your brain will thank you!

Any odd number of items together that breaks the symmetrical pattern of our lives creates need to restore balance– and keeps life interesting! We may not welcome it at the time of course, but rising to the challenge is what living is all about. In the depths of August we can take stock of the summer, ask, what have we done to savor the season? What still needs doing? Did we have enough ice cream? Enough surf riding? Enough hiking? Seasonal activities can be gathered into a mental image to create snapshot of the entire experience. With mental reinforcement we remember it better later.

My image for the summer isn’t the scales of balance or the group of three. They don’t capture the lushness and the energy of this fiery season. Instead it is the cluster.

There is an obvious example in the backyard vegetable garden. There are so many others. So that leads me to ask- what is the shape of abundance for you?

Oh the lazy days of summer are here! When work is done there’s so much daylight you can close your eyes in the bright sun and feel the warmth reaching down into your bones bathing away the rancor and rhetoric of the day. You can relax into memory….. Continue reading →